The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-09

of the ballroom were found ornamented
with full-length portrait of Andrew Jack
sons horse, so confident had been his friends
OF winning the race
Jackson great love for his wife came out
in relation to horses. He bought for her, it
is said, the finest coach in Tennessee, paying
for 1t s., 800, and he highly priced this coach
in after years. He had it with him at
Washington, and would ride in no other.
AT one time his horse ran away with il, and
1t was brought back considerably damaged.
jackson was very angry, and his private
secretary heard him say to his black coach
man: Charles, you know why value that
carriage. This is the second time such an
accident has happened and if ever it oc-
ours again l will send you back to Ten
mes see.n
just before Jackson left the Presidency he
received present of carriage made from
the timber Of the frigate Constitution, which
had taken part in the war against Great
Britain in 1912, and had been dubbed Old
lronsides. During the last Presidential
term of jackson the old vessel went to
pieces, and the Democracy of New York
city gathered the timbers together and made
a handsome carriage from them. Il was in
this carriage that Gen. jackson and Presi-
dent-elect Van Buren, rode to the capitol
from the White House to Van Bprens inau-
guration, and it is said that this old carriage
is now in the possession of a storekeeper in
little Georgia village.
Martin Van Buren, had fine turnout
while he was in the White House. His car
riage was Of a dark olive hue, with orna-
ments as bright as FURNISHED gold. He had
a footman and coacbman in livery, and he
rode about in grand style
When Harrison came to Washington to
be inaugurated, he walked from the depot
into the city, and on the day Of his inaug-
uratlon refused to ride in fine carriage
which, with its four fiery horses, had been
presented to him for this purpose by the
Wings of Baltimore. Gen. Harrison had
pronounced ideas Of his own as to how the
President of the United States should act
and speak. He thought that it was more
becoming for the President to ride to his
Inauguration on horseback, as the Roman
Emperors used to pass along the Appian
Way. So he refused the carriage, and
though the day was cold and windy, he rode
beth out and back upon a white charger,
wearing no overcoat, and carrying his hat
in his hand as he did so. He was escorted
by the military, but the raw, cold air chilled
the marrow of his old bones, and it is the
opinion of many that the exposure of that
day had much to do with Fastening his
death, which occurred few weeks later
President Tyler brought to the White
House the customs of his old Virginia home
A greal deal of comment was made on one
of his carriages, which was bought at the
sale Of the effects of Mr. Paulding, the Sec
rotary of the Navy under Van Buren,. 1t is
said that President Tyler asked his Irish
coachnan what the people would think of
his using secondhand carriage. To which
the coachnan responded:
And faith, Mr.. President, it seems to me
a secondhand carriage would not be out of
Y1aaa fOl, won For Irn1I kOpvSy TINT Gonna
people say that you are only a secondhand
President.
President Polk kept a good turnout at
Washington. He had a carriage Of dark
olive, highly polished, and with gilt borders
around the panels The cushions of the
interior We're of rich figured CRIMSON cloth
with lace trimmings, and the windows had
curtains of blue and red figured stuff. He
drove four horses, and his equipage was one
of the sights.
President Zach Taylor brought to Wash
ington the old horse which he had used in
the Mexican war. He was a fine looking
horse as white as snow and full of spirit; he
pricked up his ears at martial music, and
followed the remains Of his master to the
grave, being led directly behind the funeral
car, which was drawn by eight white
horses.
During the administration of Pierce the
Presidents stables were directly below the
White House, and they were in charge of
gray haired coachman who still lives in
Washington, and who delights in talking of
the Presidents he has served. President
PIERCE he says, twas a fine horseback
rider, and | can see him now as he used to
walk down to the stables every morning
with his whip in his hand He would come
in and pat the horses and say: We'll,
Thomas, will you saddle my horse for me,
please" and then he would stroll away to
look at the garden, which then lay between
the White House and the Treasury, while
his horse was being prepared for him.
President Buchanan" continued the old
coachman, had magnificent turnout, and
one Of his sets of harness cost him $500. II
was made as present for him by Phila-
delphian but it was President Buchanan's
custom not to receive presents, and when
the donor brought it to the White House
Buchanan asked him what it had cost to
make it, The reply was $780, Buchanan
at once wrote out a check for the amount,
and made the man take it.
president Buchanan drove but seldom,
and he never rode on horseback His niece,
Harriet Lane was the chief one who used
the stables She was fond Of the saddle,
and I was her groom on such occasions.
She would often make up a party of ten
girls, and they would canter away from the
White House door for ten or twelve miles
into the country about Washington. Presi-
dent johnson bought his horses from those
which the army sold at the close of the war.
We was very careful in keeping an account
of their expenses. and he paid himself for
every cents worth OF feed they used. He
kept eight horses, and one OF his teams was
very fine. It consisted of a pair of fiery
blacks, with skin like jet and eyes which
flashed with spirit
MRS. Lincoln managed all matters re-
lating to the household and the stables, and
engaged and dismissed the servants, and she
was not the easiest woman to get along
with, either. / was not her coachman, how
ever. During Lincoln's administration /
acted as coachnan for the two private sec
retaries, Col. John Hay and Mr.. Nicolay.
During the administration often had to
drive Mr.. Lincoln here and there, and |
often took him to the Soldiers Home. He
had a troubled look during those days, and
talked but little. Mrs. Lincoln kept the
poorest horses of any administration l
served under"
President Grants love for horses has be-
come proverbial. He had been noted as a
horseman long before he came to the White
House, and at the time that he was elected
he had stock farm near ST. Louis, where,
it is said, he kept more than 100 horses. He
drove the best OF horses while lie was Presi
dent, and his favorites occupied a large
space in the newspaper literature of the
time. Among Gen. Grants handsome
horses were Cincinnati, Egypt and jeff
Davis. Cincinnati was good saddle horse,
and the President could ride him to any